My wallet and smartphone were safe.
"Wolfina does eat humans," Jun explained casually.
"She actually eats…?"
"Mostly members of rival organizations, criminals, or heroes. There are more than enough people to eat without laying a hand on ordinary citizens. You already know their numbers keep increasing, right?"
"…Well, that may be true, but…"
Was I lucky that I only got violated?
"I've instructed her to properly bring back any valuable items or personal information she finds. She's quite skilled. Anyway, Riku — pick whatever clothes you like from the used ones in the store. There's underwear too."
"Used underwear!?"
Was that the kind of business they were running?
"They're unopened commercial products. It happens all the time. People buy them but decide they don't like the feel, or parents buy them for their kids but the kids refuse to wear them."
Jun said this while folding her arms under her 108 cm bust and waving her hand dismissively, clearly telling me not to stare.
108・69・104.
My newly awakened Heavenly Eye had pulled up her three sizes, and it was driving me crazy. The moment I focused on something, information just kept pouring out. I thought the loose T-shirt and jeans were casual, but both turned out to be expensive brand items.
I returned to the store alone from the basement and chose some clothes.
The only men's underwear available were plain white briefs. No wonder they ended up as used stock. When it came to the clothes, I could see the original prices from when they were new, which made choosing surprisingly difficult. Even styles I would never normally pick suddenly looked attractive. It made me realize just how little real fashion sense I had.
In the end, I went with a red tracksuit top and bottom.
I had to dress fully covered — the surgical scars covered my entire body. There were incisions running from below my Adam's apple to the backs of my wrists and down to my ankles. Anyone would immediately realize I'd undergone massive surgery. For the time being, I couldn't wear open collars, short sleeves, or even sandals with bare feet.
At least it was early spring. That was a small mercy.
Would the scars really disappear?
If the fact that I'd been turned into a combatant got out, it would cause trouble for Jun too, so I had no choice but to trust her. Still, staying like this until summer would definitely look unnatural. There was also the possibility that they didn't expect me to live that long.
The 72nd combatant.
A test subject.
"Hey, Tate. There were rumors you died."
"…Why?"
"People said you looked really stressed out lately."
"Ah, that… it's over now."
Because I had made up my mind to confess.
I contacted the few people who had messaged me on my phone to let them know I was safe. It highlighted how lonely my life was — living alone, rarely contacting my family, and only really having Sato from my university circle.
"Over? What's over?"
"I confessed and got rejected."
"First I'm hearing of it."
"Guys don't talk about romance with each other."
"If you bottle up the shock and go silent for three whole days, you won't be able to live a normal social life. Talk to your friends. Not for success — sharing the pain makes it easier to deal with."
Sato lectured me in a self-important tone.
"Stop preaching."
I had simply been unconscious for three days because of the remodeling surgery.
"You don't get it. Everyone can relate to heartbreak, so you should open up and use it to build closeness. That attitude of never wanting to show weakness is what narrows your relationships."
This guy had a strangely philosophical view of life.
"…Anyway, I'm alive, so… see you later."
My ears were hurting, so I ended the call.
"Seriously…"
Munch.
Just walking from the store to the station left me exhausted from the pain, so I stopped by a hamburger shop to eat. However, the moment I looked at the food, the Heavenly Eye started displaying ingredient information one after another, which killed my appetite. I ended up eating while staring out the window.
What was I supposed to do from now on?
They called me a combatant, but I had zero combat experience.
What was I even supposed to fight?
*Beep beep beep beep.*
"?"
The sound echoed inside my head.
A red arrow appeared in my vision, pointing upward.
It was clearly warning me of danger.
Even when I looked up, all I saw was a cloudy sky or the ceiling of the shop.
"!"
I suddenly snapped back to reality, shoved the rest of the hamburger into my mouth, washed it down with cola, and stood up. It was alerting me. The Heavenly Eye had detected something. If I stayed spaced out, I might actually die.
Was something falling?
Was it going to hit this hamburger shop?
It was past 4 PM. There were about ten customers and five staff inside. Since it was on the first floor of a building, I had no idea how many people were on the upper floors. This was the time when the shop would start getting busier. If something happened, the damage could be catastrophic.
Could I really just run away by myself?
"Run…"
Please run away?
Because it's dangerous?
Who would believe me if I said that?
"Shit… why do I have to…!"
I was already running up the stairs toward the rooftop. My whole body was in pain. The arrow kept pointing. What I could tell was that whatever was approaching wasn't moving that fast. I didn't know exactly what the Heavenly Eye had detected, but the information was coming from somewhere outside my normal vision.
If I waited on the roof, maybe I could stop it.
Since I was a combatant now, I should at least have some combat ability.
The door to the rooftop was locked.
"Damn it!"
I twisted the knob hard and ripped it open.
The moment I did, I felt an unbelievable power surge through my palm, arm, shoulder, and back. It was like a machine activating — the enhanced strength from the modifications was there.
"Oh?"
Something was standing on the fence surrounding the rooftop.
"Usually there's no one up here."
The arrow was pointing right at it.
"Fresh Girl…"
90・60・95.
My Heavenly Eye instantly displayed her three sizes.